Award Of Honor - Mary L. Sims

April 06, 1989

Mary L. Sims, most commonly known as Pat, of Sherwood will receive an Award of Honor from the Virginia Association of Non-Profit Homes for the Aging as she ends two decades of service to Newport News Baptist Retirement Community.

"Residents of the Newport News Baptist Home have been submitting your name for an award every year," Sims was told in a notification letter. "The committee felt that any person who consistently received such love and commitment from their residents should be recognized."

FOR THE RECORD - Published correction ran Thursday, April 13, 1989.A photo caption incorrectly listed Mary "Pat" Sims' title. She has been the assistant administrator of the Newport News Baptist Retirement for 20 years.

The recognition will come as the association's second Award of Honor. It will be presented to the Sherwood resident during VANHA's annual meeting, scheduled for May 3 in Williamsburg.

Sims has been a member of the association since it was formed to allow about 100 member facilities to share experiences and to sponsor continuing training of administrators.

She says she became coordinating secretary of the retirement communiity when work was launched by Virginia Baptist Home.

Virginia Baptists had a similar retirement community in Culpepper. A third was subsequently located in Richmond as Lakewood Manors Baptist Retirement Community.

"I actually started when they were placing the piling for the building," she says. "I fell in love with the project and I just stayed on." She had been on the job 14 months before the first residents moved in during November 1969.

Administration of a retirement community hadn't been in her career plan. Sims earned a degree in mathematics from Baylor University in Texas, but she also carried minors in business administration and psychology.

She was named assistant administrator in 1970 and two years later, after completing training programs and examinations, she became a licensed nursing home administrator.

Her task included a role as personnel director for the 158 staff members serving 220 residents, including those who need care in the 52-bed nursing home.

She says she will "always remember the feeling of love in the home, from both residents and staff. I can feel the caring and the desire to help from everyone."

Her husband, Joe T. Sims, has retired from his second career as senior nuclear electrical engineer at Newport News Shipbuilding. They became Virginians 30 years ago when he was in his first career with the Navy.

Two of their children have remained Virginians, Thomas Sims in Newport News and Patty Foster in Richmond. A second daughter, Sandi, now lives in Bermuda. They also have four grandchildren.